By Stella Odueme
The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has charged Public Relations Officers (PROs) of the Scheme to strengthen strategic communication and reputation management to enhance its corporate image among stakeholders.
Nafiu gave the charge in his address at the 2026 Public Relations, Media and Protocol Officers Workshop held in Abuja.
The workshop was themed, “NYSC Strategic Communication: Shaping Perception, Safeguarding Reputation, and Fostering Public Trust.”
According to a statement by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, on Friday, the NYSC DG, who was represented at the event by the Director, Community Development Services and Special Projects, Mr Chiwendu Chukwu, described the theme as apt, timely and strategic, particularly in the rapidly changing communication environment.
He stressed that strategic communication goes beyond publicity, noting that it involves informing, engaging, listening and responding to stakeholders in a deliberate and coordinated manner.
“Therefore, our communication must be accurate, timely, credible, consistent and responsive,” he said.
The Director General described communication professionals as important custodians of the image and reputation of the Scheme.
He urged the PROs to develop a thorough understanding of the NYSC mandate, anticipate public concerns, monitor emerging narratives and ensure that accurate information reaches the right audience through the appropriate channel and at the right time.
Nafiu also charged the officers to strengthen their capacity in proactive communication, media monitoring, fact-checking and effective crisis communication.
He further urged them to leverage the evolving digital space to showcase the contributions of the NYSC to national development.
In his welcome address, the Director, Media Department, Mr Emeka Mgbemena, urged the officers to remain vigilant in countering misinformation and misleading narratives targeted at the Scheme on social media.
He said the workshop was organised to equip information managers with the skills and knowledge required to deploy effective public relations strategies in the discharge of their responsibilities, particularly in their engagements with the media and other critical stakeholders.
Mgbemena said the digital media era had brought challenges such as junk journalism, misinformation, misuse of social media and under-reporting, alongside a generation of youths who are highly active on social media.
He stated that the development had made it necessary to equip officers with the requisite tools, skills and knowledge to effectively boost the Scheme’s image through information packaged for public consumption.
The Media Director charged the officers to uphold the highest standards of professionalism in managing the reputation of the Scheme at the State Secretariats and the National Directorate Headquarters.
“As officers entrusted with the task of managing the reputation of the Scheme at our respective States and the NDHQ, we must work with the highest degree of professionalism. We must be proactive and not reactive; we need to effectively tell our stories and guard against misinformation,” he added.
In his goodwill message, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Ike Neliaku, charged NYSC Public Relations Officers to sustain best practices in corporate communication and deploy effective reputation management strategies to improve public perception of the Scheme.
Neliaku emphasised that organisations are built deliberately through consistent efforts and not by chance.
The workshop was attended by Public Relations, Media and Protocol Officers from the 36 State Secretariats, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Abuja.